Black Sound

7 April – extended until March 2018

Black Sound tells the story of 100 years of musical creativity and DIY ingenuity. Overcoming the majority status quo of the music industry, Black British music has migrated from the margins to re-master the mainstream. This exhibition celebrates the pioneers that made it happen – the players, the promoters, the producers and the punters that changed Britain’s cultural history.

This timely exhibition combines sound, moving image and archive material, to dynamically tell the story of Black British music. Black Sound takes you through three phases of this musical journey: Original Imports, D.I.Y Culture and Re-mastering the Mainstream. These themes are consistent throughout the history of Black British music, linking individuals, generations and genres – tracking the evolution of multi-cultural Britain through sound.

Black Sound is a raw and energetic exhibition that draws on BCA’s archive collection of ephemera, photographs, vinyl, cassettes, and music tracks to showcase the musical heritage of Black people across the UK. This exhibition is co-curated by The Champion Agency and Lloyd Bradley in partnership with the BCA. Champion has been the BCA’s creative partner since its opening and designed the acclaimed Staying Power exhibition. Lloyd Bradley, author of the critically acclaimed anthology of Black British music Sounds Like London:100 Years of Black Music in the Capital (2013) has developed the narrative, which sews together rich social history with a powerful soundscape of black Britain. Audio-guided tours will feature as part of the exhibition experience and visitors can listen to a mix of the top 100 most seminal albums from the last 100 years.